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墨書 Inktalez
“Old Cao, is that really you…”
Seeing this touching scene, my emotions were still a bit out of control. Although I didn’t rush over to hug Liu Squad Leader like he did, my voice trembled with unshed tears.
Cao Mingzhe gently patted Liu Squad Leader on the back and said to me, “I never expected a reunion like this, and that so many of you survived. It’s truly a miracle.”
Liu Squad Leader was already in tears, stepping back awkwardly to stand beside me. He understood the relationship I had with Cao Mingzhe, knowing that there were deeper feelings and more words to share between us.
Everyone else was excited but consciously refrained from stealing the spotlight. Even Jack and European, who had arrived earlier than me, stood at a respectful distance behind Liu Squad Leader and me.
“Where have you been? We couldn’t find you or the other Hakka People. We thought… what about the other Hakka People?”
Despite my overwhelming emotions, I managed to keep myself together. I still remembered Tang Yumo’s anxious expression. He believed the other person wasn’t a Hakka Person, and the figure in black standing next to Cao Mingzhe hadn’t turned around yet.
Cao Mingzhe shook his head. “The situation was too chaotic at that time. I ran aimlessly toward the area with the fewest Mosquitoes, and someone saved me. I didn’t see anyone else; he wasn’t with you?”
After confirming with me, Cao Mingzhe sighed. “There’s no doubt he’s dead. In that kind of situation, as long as you’re not part of a team, the chances of survival for an individual are almost zero. It’s hard for him to have had an encounter like mine.”
“Encounter? What happened?” I asked curiously.
“You didn’t ask who this person is.” Cao Mingzhe gave a light pat on the shoulder of the figure in black. “Let me surprise you; see who this is.”
At Cao Mingzhe’s gesture, the figure in black slowly turned around. The moment his face came into the light, both Liu Squad Leader and I gasped in unison. “Song Team!”
Song Guilong. I never dreamed this person would be Song Guilong. He looked just as he always did—slim and upright—but his complexion was no longer ruddy and dark; it appeared slightly pale. This was likely due to his long years spent in darkness, away from sunlight.
Song Guilong maintained his usual demeanor. Unlike me and Liu Squad Leader, who were overwhelmed with emotion, he seemed prepared for this meeting, his expression resolute as he slightly furrowed his brows and nodded at me. “Zhang. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
In that moment, I felt frozen, my mind blank as if happiness had struck too suddenly for me to process. All our efforts to find Song Guilong seemed worth it now; bringing him back would mean all our sacrifices had paid off.
“It feels like ages since we last met; I never expected to see you again.” Song Guilong said, extending his right hand and taking a step toward me. “You’ve worked hard.”
Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face as I struggled to speak, my hand reaching toward Song Guilong trembling involuntarily.
A sharp sound echoed in the air.
A strong hand gripped mine.
Song Guilong stared at me, and up close, I noticed his expression suddenly shift to something strange. He maintained a calm demeanor, yet complex emotions flickered across his face. I could only describe it as bizarre, for there were too many emotions displayed, so intricate that I couldn't discern them clearly.
In a voice only I could hear, he whispered to me, "I warned you. Don't come here. Whether you didn't receive this warning or chose to ignore it, now that you're here, this is the only outcome."
As I saw the indescribable complexity on Song Guilong's face, a strong sense of danger washed over me. Yet his grip on my hand felt like a vice, nearly crushing my bones and pinning me in place.
What held me there was not just his hand but also the indescribable severe pain. The pain from my crushed bones and the agony radiating from my abdomen—a kind of pain that drained all my strength.
I looked down and saw that Song Guilong's left hand clutched a knife handle. The blade was fully embedded in my abdomen.
With the little strength I had left, I grasped the knife handle and murmured, "Why?"
I could barely stand; I knew this was the last moment of my life. I had no regrets about my choices, including coming here and moving toward the Eternal Gate.
But I wanted to know the answer. Why? Why did he want to kill me? Was my presence truly a threat to Song Guilong's position here? Would it take away his control over the Eternal Gate? Or was it something else?
I had come here prepared to sacrifice everything, including my life. Yet at this moment, I felt that dying was not worth it. Everything remained a mystery to me; I hadn't even seen the true form of the Eternal Gate. I had given so much to find and rescue this person, only to be killed by him in return.
Until I knew the answer, I didn't want to die. Otherwise, I would leave this world with unanswered questions.
Song Guilong's face was twisted. From his expression, I saw no hint of regret or shame. The murderous glint in his eyes could have killed me right then and there. His lips were tightly pressed together; I saw no intention of providing me with an answer—not even a single word.
I held onto my resolve. With my eyes and my unsteady stance, I conveyed to him that I needed an answer. I wasn't afraid of death, but I feared leaving this world as a fool.
I didn't know where exactly he had stabbed me. But it certainly wasn't a miss; it struck true at a vital point; otherwise, the warmth and strength would not have drained from my body so quickly.
The coldness and weakness made me tremble all over. If it weren't for the intense desire for answers supporting me, I thought I would have already succumbed—at least there would be no way for me to stand before him now.
For me to still be standing and looking him in the eye was somewhat unexpected for Song Guilong. His fierce face showed a slight furrow of his brows, as if surprised by my reaction, or perhaps dissatisfied with his own methods.
However, he quickly provided me with an answer. Not the answer I wanted, but the one that would end my life.
I felt the knife being pulled from my abdomen. Perhaps it was due to my loss of strength, or more likely, his speed was too great. When the knife left my body and my hand, I surprisingly felt nothing; I didn’t even grasp the blade as it withdrew.
But I saw the significant movement of his left shoulder. Looking down, I noticed it was a short knife over a foot long. It resembled the second blade often carried by Japanese samurai, with a straight blade and a slanted tip, incredibly sharp.
His movements were fluid, without a hint of hesitation. The moment the knife left my body, its tip lifted slightly upward as it lunged toward my chest and abdomen.
Suddenly, I felt as if I had been struck by a tank; my body flew up like a leaf in the wind.
(To Be Continued)
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